Butter and like divider



Aug. 15, 1933. J. BENZ BUTTER AND LIKE DIVIDER Filed Nov. 4, 1931 I22 mmfor,-

Patented Aug. 15, 1933 curt-so srnrss v nn'r'rnnf inn Linn Emma JohannesBenz, Dusseldcrfi-Gerrnany Application November 4, 931, swarms. eraser,

in Germany November 6, 1339 5 Claims. (01. 31 -1) The object of thepresent invention is to obtain a method whereby butter; margarine, andother plastic substances may be divided into portions of uniform shapeand exact weight, and the invention consists essentially in forming thematerial into a continuous stream of uniform cross section, cutting offuniform portions from said stream, pressing said portions into uniformshape, and rejecting in such pressing all. material in excess of a givenquantity.

A device for carrying out this method comprises a plurality ofopen-ended moulds of a cross-section substantially equal to that of thestream, the latter being inserted into the moulds against an adjustableplunger and severed so as to leave a uniform portion thereof in eachmould whereupon said portion is compressed in the mould between opposingpress plungers, means being provided for discharging from the mould allmaterial not containable between the plungers, and means being providedfor expelling the pressed and corrected portions from the mould.

The moulds may be attached to a rotatable carrier which isintermittently rotated for moving the moulds from one operating positionto another.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing represents a front view of arotatable mould carrier, and

Fig, 2 is a side view, partly in section, of the carrier of the.different plunger-s.

In the illustrated arrangement four open-ended moulds b, c, d, e arecarried at the ends of radial arms connected by means of a boss to arotatable shaft a which is subjected to intermittent motion for passingthe noulds successively through different operating stations 1, 2, 3 and4. The material to be divided is formed into a continuous stream whichmoves over rollers g in the direction of the arrow 5 in the firstoperating station. The moulds, which are of a cross-sectionsubstantially equal to that of the stream flare held so as to receivethe end of the stream, and a plunger 1' connected to a guide rod is isintroduced into the mould from the opposite end thereof so as to form anabutment for the stream. The extent to which the plunger enters themould is adjustable and regulated so that the portion of the streamadmitted into the mould is preferably slightly in excess of a givenweight. A cutter h is operated so as to sever the stream close to themould.

In the second operating station there are two opposing press plungers land 11 connected respectively to guide rods m and 0. These pressplungers enter the mould and press the material into a given shape. Thespace between the advanced plunger-s is regulated so as to containexactly the desired weight to be given to each. portion of the material.To allow superfluous material to escape froni'the mould, the plungern isformed with apertures p which open into a hood (1 whence the dischargematerials drop into a receiver r for further utilization. By allowing inthis manner for the supply and discharge of excess in material, an exactproportioning of material in the pressed portions can always be ensured.

In the third station a plunger s is provided which is guided by a rodand which enters the mould for expelling the pressed portion u from thelatter. A table "0 may be arranged to receive it. The fourth station caneither be idle or provided with means for cleaning or moistcning theempty moulds.

The plunger 11 may be embossed for making ornamental impressions on thebutter portions.

The discharged butter portion a may be pushed, together with a wrappingpaper, through a device which wraps the paper round it in known manner.

Naturally arrangements may be made for moving the different operatingplungers past one or a plurality of stationary moulds, and instead ofretaining the material in the same mould during the diiferentoperations, each portion may be passed through a plurality of moulds.

The different plungers and other elements are controlled and operated byknown means.

I claim:

1. A method of dividing butter and the like into uniform portions,consisting in forming the material into a continuous freely supported 90stream of uniform cross-section, cutting off uniform portions from saidstream; pressing said portions from two opposite directions into uniformshape, and rejecting in such pressing all material in excess of a givenquantity. 9.)

2. A device for dividing a stream of plastic material into uniformportions, comprising a plurality of open-ended moulds of a cross-sectionsubstantially equal to that of the stream, a horizontal guidewaysupporting the stream freely in position to enter the moulds a plunger ladapted to enter the moulds in opposition to the stream, a cutter forsevering the stream close to the moulds, a pair of opposing pressplungers, means for supporting the moulds between said plungers for acompression of their contents, means for discharging from the moulds anymaterial not containable between the opposing plungers, an expellingplunger, and means for supporting the moulds in position to receive saidexpelling plunger.

3. A device for dividing a stream of plastic material into uniformportions, comprising a plurality of open-ended moulds of a cross-sectionsubstantially equal to that of the stream, a series of rollerssupporting the stream in horizontal position, means for supporting saidmoulds in position to receive the stream, a plunger adapted to enter themoulds in opposition to the stream, a cutter for severing the streamclose to the moulds, a pair of press plungers, means for supporting themoulds between said plungers for a compression of their contents, one ofsaid latter plungers having apertures for the discharge of material notcontainable between the advanced plungers, an expelling plunger, andmeans for supporting the moulds in position to receive said expellingplunger.

4. A device for dividing a stream of plastic material into uniformportions, comprising a plurality of open-ended moulds of a cross-sectionsubstantially equal to that of the moulds,

supporting means for said moulds allowing them to be moved through aplurality of operating positions, a horizontal guidway for passing thestream into the moulds in one of said operating positions, a plungerheld in position to enter the moulds in opposition to the stream, acutter for severing the stream close to the moulds, a pair of opposingpress plungers arranged in another operating position for insertion fromopposite sides into the moulds, one or" said latter plungers havingapertures for the discharge or" material not containable between theadvanced plungers, an expelling plunger arranged in a third operatingposition and adapted to pass through the moulds for the dischargetherefrom of the pressed portions of material, and means for receivingsaid portions from the moulds.

I 5. A structure as claimed in claim 4 wherein the mould supportingmeans consists of a 1'0- tary carrier wherein the moulds are heldequidistant from the axis of rotation.

J OHANNES BENZ.

